Yellow is the Color of Foreclosure
It’s that time of year again. Out and about with the Big Dudes, I spot yellow plastic bags stapled to door frames and porch rails, stuck on stakes in empty lots. Detroit is collecting its trash in the form of burned out houses and overgrown lots, more auction material noRead More …
Diary of an Abandoned House
It sat on a fenced-in corner lot, a nice looking, pseudo-brick house, 2, maybe 3 bedroom, complete with a garage bordering the alley, if Detroit still had working alleys that is. Not sure what to call them now. Empty Space formerly known as Alley? Two majestic pines dominate the frontRead More …
The Candidate’s Daughter
I’ve pretty much given up on self-pub books. Too much crap to wade through to find the few gems among them. However, when several people you know start talking about one, it may well be worth checking out. That’s the case with The Candidate’s Daughter. There are scenes in thisRead More …
Death Ain’t But A Word
I’m not sure why I picked up this book. The title is so-so, the cover is garish. Was it the San Francisco Book Review blurb on the front cover? I’m generally not inclined toward paying much attention to blurbs. Way too many blurb whores out there for me to payRead More …
Me Again
Keith Cronin has that rare ability many writers wish they had: a near perfect sense of comedic timing, especially where the one-liner is concerned. It’s hard to imagine ‘funny’ in a story about a man who has been in a coma for years, a man no one thought would everRead More …
I Know Where The Brain-Dead Go
I’ve known for awhile where at least some of the brain-dead people go: they either run for office in, or go to work for, the city of Detroit. The fact that the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department hires the brain-dead was confirmed today when three, count em, THREE (3) employeesRead More …
Singing The Small Press Blues
So, I was up at Beyond The Margins this morning, reading a post about envy by Robin Black. I think most, if not all, writers are envious of other writers at one point or another. But that alone is not why I checked the post out. I’ve been struggling withRead More …
The American Dream
Okay, I don’t watch much TV, the advertisements drive me batshit for one thing. Recently, before thumbing the big, fat, turn-it-all-the-hell-off button I did see one that got me thinking, and wondering. It was an old man on a porch, my age maybe, with a young kid and the oldRead More …
In Like A Lion
It’s been a long time since I’ve been in a place with four distinct seasons. Albuquerque came closest, I guess, with its five minutes of Spring and Fall separating its bitter, mile-high Winter and its blistering, brain-melting Summer. Back in Detroit. Think I’ve mentioned that before. Here there are fourRead More …
Fire and Rain
The moon is nearing full. I can see it outside my bedroom window. Clear sky. Cold. Back in Detroit. Back home. Who would believe that shit? Look down upon me, Jesus. This city is in the toilet. Is that the way it should be? Seen fire. Seen rain. Detroit inRead More …
The Silly Season
The silly season, and 2011 as a whole, is finally nearing its end. I have severely neglected this blog over the last few months. Actually, I’ve severely neglected my writing, my TBR pile and interactions with other humans as well. The house and my Detroit adventure have been a timeRead More …
A City of Two Tails
I’ve been back in Detroit exactly a month and a day. A few folks I know, mostly my relatives, wonder if I’m crazy. My son even asked me if I’d gone senile. Well, crazy yes, but then I’ve always been a bit crazy. Senile? Who knows. Could be. Detroit hasRead More …
No More Nothing To Do
Don Watts, a long time friend, once said to me that owning a home means never having nothing to do. That’s especially true if the house you buy has been sitting vacant for a number of years. The one I’m sitting in at the moment, listening to rainwater drip intoRead More …
Never Say Never
The title of this post is a bit of a contradiction, not to mention a bit cliche, but, as far as sound advice goes, it has its salient points. Back in late 81 – or was it early 82? Winter in any event – I packed up the last ofRead More …
D5 Creation